Being Popular Makes You More Attractive

If you've ever thought you're more attractive to the opposite sex when flanked by your boyfriend or girlfriend take heed, it isn't in your imagination—you are. According to a recent Indiana University study, one is considerably more appealing to suitors if they get the impression you're popular and in-demand. Note to self: chat up as many hot strangers as possible when in social situations. 

Researchers videotaped a slew of speed daters and then presented the tapes to 40 women and 40 men. Overwhelmingly, they found that if the speed dater was adequately charming their date and the person sitting opposite was interested, those viewing the interaction had a higher opinion of the dater in the hot seat. Yet if conversation was awkward, or the person on the receiving end seemed bored, viewers tended to rate them as less attractive. The scientists also estimate looks matter most when it comes to sizing up competition. If men viewed the other guys wooing the potential girl as handsome, it kicked in some evolutionary competitive streak, making her more desirable. The same for women, but honestly, that isn't shocking. Us ladies assess and obsessively place each other on physical totem poles from young ages. Speed Dating Dos and Don'ts

"We might think that searching for mates is a process best done individually, that we can best gather the appropriate information by ourselves," lead researcher Skyler Place said in a university news release. "But humans, like many other animals, also pay attention to the preferences of others, to make for a more efficient search process. Who others like might also be a good choice for ourselves." My, we are an impressionable lot, aren't we?

This is made abundantly clear if you ever have the stomach to flip through an old high school yearbook. You may wonder, years later, why on Earth such a fuss was made about one person and not another. Likewise, in the adult world, when gazing at the newsstand and lamenting the questionable attractiveness of any celebrity "Most Desirable" list. Alas, no matter how unique, it may pain you to realize that sooner or later Zac Efron's abs may very well grow on you too, so long as a pretty lady like Vanessa Hudgens stays on his arm. Celebrity Dating (Or Not Dating) Round-Up